BMW has just announced a new turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant that will first appear in the BMW X1. Replacing the current 3.0-liter straight-six overseas, it will be found under the hood when the X1 hits dealers in North America.

The new TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine displaces just 2.0-liter but makes 245-hp at 5000 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque at just 1250 rpm. To achieve this result the engine uses BMW's Valvetronic variable valve control system, as well as a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct-injection.

Compared to the old 3.0-liter straight-six, the turbo-four makes 13 fewer horsepower, but 30 more ft-lbs of torque. BMW claims an improvement of 0.7 seconds to 62 mph with the manual and 0.3 seconds with the automatic, resulting in a very impressive 6.1 second (or 6.5 second) 0-62 mph time.

Along with improved performance, the TwinPower Turbo 4-banger also gets improved fuel economy, with BMW claiming a 4.8-mpg improvement to 29.8-mpg. (On the European test cycle).

Set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the N20 engine is likely to find it's way under the hood of numerous new Bimmers, including the 3 Series, X3, Z4 and even the 5 Series.